1. Technical field
The present invention relates to an immunochromatographic detection sensor comprising optical waveguides and a detection method using the same, and more particularly, to an immunochromatographic detection sensor comprising optical waveguides, in which the optical waveguides are provided under the membrane, probe beams transmitted through the optical waveguide maximize the interaction frequency between evanescent waves generated on the surface of the optical waveguide and the colored conjugates in the colored conjugate bands formed on the membrane, resulting in an absorbance signal from the colored conjugate that is greatly amplified to improve the sample detection sensitivity, and a detection method using the same.
2. Background Art
In a lateral flow membrane-based immunochromatographic assay, a liquid sample is absorbed and migrates by capillary action through an antibody-coated membrane, in which a conjugate pad is in contact with a sample pad on the top of the membrane and an absorbent pad is placed on the end of the membrane. A colored conjugate, on which a substance capable of selectively binding with the sample material is immobilized, is dried on the conjugate pad. On the membrane, a substance capable of selectively capturing the sample material and a substance capable of binding the substance that is immobilized on the colored conjugate are immobilized at different positions, such as sample lines or control lines. The substances immobilized on the membrane and the colored conjugate, which selectively bind to the sample material, are constructed to bind with the sample material in a sandwich-type structure. The absorbent pad is made of a strongly liquid-absorbing material. Upon applying a liquid sample to the immunochromatographic analysis device, if the analyte is present in the liquid sample, the substance specific to the analyte and the substance specific to the substance immobilized onto the colored conjugate form colored bands on each position of the membrane. The results are qualitatively read with the naked eye or quantitatively analyzed with the help of a digital sensor. When the colored bands are analyzed with the naked eye or with the help of a digital sensor, light reflected perpendicularly to the membrane surface is measured to analyze the colored conjugate bands.
However, the known measurement methods have low sensitivity (detection limit: approximately 1 ng/mL of antigen protein), and thus it is difficult to employ the methods for high sensitivity detection.